Resumes for Sales Professionals

The Most Important Section in Resumes for Sales Professionals

As important as it is to quantify one’s achievements on a resume, in no profession does it matter more than it does in sales. The level to which a sales professional is considered successful by his employers is easily demonstrated by showcasing the percentage over quota you achieved, or the number of accounts you opened. If your business niche has a long conversion cycle, it is especially important to state an average conversion cycle and impress your next employer with how well you performed around that cycle.

However, your resume must say more about you than simply quantifying your wins. It needs to define your professional brand so that your professionalism comes through. You want to be viewed as a professional who knows the industry fully and develops new business organically. Therefore, a resume for a sales professional describes how you cultivate relationships, not merely how much new business you close. The best sales professionals cultivate relationships and build networks, allowing new business leads to grow organically.

Furthermore, while no one wants to be pigeon-holed in one industry, the best sales people find their niche in one field, and become subject matter experts. In fact, some of the best speakers at industry events are actually sales professionals. The key concept is that closing business, while it may be your employer’s real goal, is not what an effective salesperson focuses on. The focus is on cultivating relationships and being known as an expert in your field; that’s why customers buy your product or service.

The sample resumes for sales professionals you can click on below demonstrate how this is done.